Oblivious
by TheMackers
Summary: Jane and Lisbon are forced to finally face their feelings for each other. Based on the promos for Season 5 because that gave me so much to work with! Spoilers for the Season 4 finale and Season 5 promos. Rated T for minor language.


**Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist or any of its characters.** Still no, sadly...

**A/N:** Hello everyone! It's been a while! I've been waiting patiently for the Season 5 premiere, as have the rest of you, when I came across the promos for this new upcoming season. This season looks AMAZING! It looks to be full of Jisbon! So, based on those lovely promos, I came up with a one-shot to tide me over until this weekend's premiere. Until then, enjoy the story!

Oblivious

Teresa Lisbon sat at her desk, fuming. The nerve of that man, Patrick Jane. She shook her head. His words and actions from earlier in the day continued to flash through her mind as though someone had hit her brain's replay button:

_"You kissed her!" She shouted, referring to Lorelai._

_"I told you not to listen." He replied matter-of-factly, as though it were no big deal._

_"I am not your girlfriend. I am an officer of the law." She replied, anger and hurt bubbling up inside her heart. "You cannot tell me what to do and you certainly cannot go around kissing suspects! Especially suspects in a Red John case! What is wrong with you, Jane?"_

What is wrong with Jane is a question she had asked herself on too many an occasion. Jane had just shrugged in response and then continued on with his day, acting like kissing Lorelai was no big deal; like it was a regular part of his day.

Lisbon leaned back in her desk chair and let out a frustrated sigh. Then again, she reminded herself, she had no business controlling whom Jane kissed, or slept with apparently. But if said person was a known Red John accomplice, did that make it her business? It was something to keep in mind, if need be. Lisbon was Jane's voice of reason after all…

…Patrick Jane frowned to himself in the seclusion of his room in the attic of the CBI. He knew that he had just pissed off Lisbon…badly. Sure, kissing an accomplice of a serial killer-not just any serial killer, but his sworn mortal enemy-was probably not allowed and even if it was, it was probably not his best idea. But the kiss was necessary, right? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

Jane could already hear Lisbon lecturing him about that's not what "keep your enemies closer" means. He couldn't tell Lorelai what he really thought; she would shut down on him immediately. Then how would they get information about Red John out of her? Lorelai was his link to his ultimate goal; a fragile link that could be severed at any time. He couldn't risk jeopardizing this chance to finally take down Red John, his nemesis, at any cost.

At any cost. So much had changed over the years since his family's death, and he surely had changed as well. Jane now began to wonder if his "the ends justifies the means" attitude of capturing Red John was really the best idea. Was risking his relationship with Lisbon, who had been his saving grace over the past decade, worth it?

Teresa Lisbon deserved so much better than him. Despite all he's done to her and the way he's treated her, Jane was surprised that Lisbon still spoke to him, let alone still was his best friend who was willing to do-and has done-anything and everything for him. And how does he repay her? By disappearing to Las Vegas without so much as a good-bye, sleeping with an accomplice of a notorious serial killer, nearly getting himself killed while getting her and the team arrested, and then bringing Red John's accomplice back to Sacramento where he kissed her right in front of Lisbon.

Jane stared up at the dingy attic ceiling. What the hell did he get himself into? Jane knew that he needed to get Lorelai to talk fast before Lisbon, his fragile link to sanity and love, was severed beyond repair. Since he was already in hot water with Lisbon, Jane decided to take advantage of this fact and return to the lair of the beast and see if he could push Lorelai any further.

"Back again so soon?" Lorelai greeted him when he entered the interrogation room. "Did you miss me, lover?"

"Just the knowledge in your head, my dear." Jane replied.

Lorelai cocked her head to the side, observing Jane curiously.

"You look sad." She commented. "Is there something wrong, lover?"

"Is there a reason you keep calling me 'lover'?" Jane asked her blatantly.

Lorelai shrugged and then flashed her best seductive smile at him.

"Well, we were lovers." She replied nonchalantly. "You remember, of course."

"Red John's gift," Jane muttered. "How could I forget?"

"You never answered my question." Lorelai continued, folding her arms across her chest. "What's bothering you, lover?"

Jane blurted out the truth before he could stop himself.

"You knew she was listening." He said to Lorelai.

Lorelai smirked at him knowingly, yet she decided to play coy.

"I knew who was listening, lover?"

"Teresa Lisbon." Jane told her.

"You're still going on about her, lover?" Lorelai leaned back in her chair. "I guess everything our friend said was true."

"Our friend? No; I would never befriend Red John." Jane declared. "What did he say was true?"

Lorelai leaned forward and rested her arms on the table in front of her.

"You're a little bit in love with her." She told Jane. "It's obvious to see."

Jane's heart began to pound in his chest, feeling as though it would burst through his ribcage at any moment. _You're a little bit in love with her…_Lorelai knew. Red John knew. Apparently, everyone was able to pick up on the feelings that he dare not share with anyone, especially Lisbon. Was it that blatantly obvious?

Jane's feelings for Lisbon must have been obvious because how else could Red John's actions be explained? Sending Lorelai to seduce him and then wanting him to kill Lisbon, out of all the people in the world, to prove that he truly had changed. That all made sense now.

"You see it now, don't you, lover?" Lorelai continued. "You're in love with Teresa Lisbon whether you want to believe it or not."

Jane's eyes widened at his epiphany and then he darted out of the interrogation room in search of Lisbon…

…Lisbon had eventually managed to curb her frustration and hurt enough to actually get some work done. As she typed away on her computer, her office door burst open, causing her to jump slightly from the surprise. When she saw that it was Jane, Lisbon just shook her head and continued working on her report, planning on giving him the cold shoulder for a bit.

"Lisbon, we need to talk." Jane told her.

Before she could enact her plan to ignore him, Lisbon heard the words angrily escaping from her mouth.

"About what Jane? What the hell could we possibly need to talk about?" She shouted angrily at him.

"About us." He replied.

_About us?_

"No! I am not having this conversation with you!" She responded defiantly.

"We need to have it some time." Jane stated calmly.

"Yeah, well, not now. Not after you made out with an accomplice of Red John, of all people!"

Jane smiled to himself. He could hear the jealously seething from her voice. She did have some feelings for him!

"What the hell are you smiling at?' Lisbon snapped.

"You." Jane said , still smiling.

"Great, now you've lost your mind too."

Jane extended his hand for Lisbon to take.

"C'mon, let's go someplace and talk."

"No." Lisbon replied, pouting slightly.

Knowing he wouldn't get anywhere like this, Jane grabbed Lisbon's hand and began dragging her out of her office.

"What the hell are you doing, Jane? Let me go!" Lisbon shrieked, trying to pull her hand out of Jane's firm grasp.

"You're making a spectacle of yourself, woman. Do you really want the whole building to start staring at us?" Jane asked her.

Lisbon let out a huff and then quietly followed Jane up into the attic. No witnesses was better. Especially if she killed him.

Once in the attic, Jane closed the door behind them before releasing Lisbon's hand both for their privacy and so she couldn't escape.

"Well, I'm here. Start talking." Lisbon stated.

Jane walked over to Lisbon and kissed her. Surprised, Lisbon pulled away and started at him.

"What are you doing?" she managed to stutter.

"Kissing you," Jane replied.

"So you're going to start kissing me now?" Lisbon asked. "You think you can just kiss me and I'll fall under your spell like Lorelai? Not gonna happen!"

"I don't expect it to happen," Jane told her. "I just want you to know the truth for once."

"That would be a nice change of pace." Lisbon retorted.

"I love you, Teresa." Jane admitted, enjoying the sound of the words together.

"What?" Lisbon whispered, eyes wide.

Jane nodded slowly.

"I love you, but you may have already known that." He continued. "You asked me if I remembered what I said to you when I pretended to shoot you and I said I didn't. The truth is that I did remember but I had to come to terms with the fact that I had fallen in love again when I never thought I would ever again."

Lisbon stood there silently, trying to digest what Jane had just told her.

"I don't expect you to just swoon at what I just told you," Jane continued. "I don't deserve your love after all I've done to you. I up and leave you without so much as a good-bye, fake a mental breakdown, sleep with a Red John accomplice and then turn up in Sacramento out of the blue and expect you to help with a crazy scheme to help me capture a man I've sworn to kill. Then, I go and kiss Lorelai in front of you. You deserve so much more and so much better than what I can offer you, Teresa, but you at least deserved to hear the truth from me."

"For a supposed mentalist, you're pretty oblivious." Lisbon commented.

Jane looked at her quizzically.

"Why do you think I continuously let you do these things? I love you, Patrick Jane. I love you. If I didn't, I would have shot you long ago."

Jane beamed, apparently missing the I-would-have-shot-you-long-ago part of Lisbon's statement.

"Can we try the kiss again?" Jane asked her.

Lisbon smiled and then kissed him. After, Jane pulled Lisbon to him and just held her tightly.

"Lorelai knew that we were in love." Jane told Lisbon. "That's why she kept rubbing it in your face. Hell, even Red John knew that we were in love."

"I know." Lisbon responded. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner. You must be losing your touch."

"Me? Never!"

Lisbon smiled up at him.

"Hey, regardless of what happens with Lorelai and Red John, just know that I love you and that nothing can ever change that." Jane reminded her.

"The same goes for you." Lisbon replied.

Jane smiled down at her.

"What are you thinking?" Lisbon asked him.

"Remember how you said earlier, 'I am not your girlfriend. I am an officer of the law'?"

Lisbon nodded.

"Well, now you're both." Jane stated, leaning down to kiss Lisbon yet again. "Like you've always been meant to be."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Reviews are most appreciated :)  
(A/N- I don't think I've ever written/typed the word "lover" this many times in one sitting in my life...Oh well...)


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